Method and apparatus for operating internal combustion engines



Aug, 13, 1940.

w. E. LEIBING METHOD AND APPARATUS VFOR OPERATING 'INTERNAL COIBUSTION ENGINES Filled Nov. 2s. 1936 3 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 Aug. 13.11940.`

w. E. LEIBING 2,211,664

IETHOD AND'APPRATUS FOR OPERATING INTERNAL -COMBUSTION ENGINES V l y Filed Nov. 28. 195s ys sheets-sheet 2 Aug. 13, 1940. 2,211,664.

METHOD AND vAPPARATUS FOR OPERATING INTERNAL CONBUSTION ENGINESl W. E. LEIBING 5 sheets-sheet s Filed Nov. 28, 1936 v @nam/muy Patented A ug. 13, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD AND INTERNAL COMB APPARATUS Foa OPERATING USTION ENGINES William E. Leibing, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Leibing Automotive Devices, Incorpol-ated, Detroit, Mich.,

Nevada a corporation of Application November 28, 1936, Serial No. 113,227 Claims. (Cl. 137.--153) For a proper understanding of thepresent invention. it is essential that consideration be given to present-day carburetor instailations and the manner of employing governors in combination therewith. Governors now in use usually comprise a valve structure separate and distinct from the throttle valve of the carburetor and mounted in a conduit section about one to one and onehalf inches thick inserted between the intake of the engine manifold and the carburetor. This results in a corresponding displacement of the carburetor and the mechanism associated therewith when a carburetor is installed and as a result new connections to the throttle and choke as well as a new gas line must be substituted for the originals. Likewise new air cleaner brackets or supports are usually necessary b y reason of the displacement of the air cleaner with the carburetor, In some installations wherein down draft carburetors are employed and the carburetor or .the air cleaner thereon is immediately adjacent the lower surface of the engine hood, it is impossible to introduce a governor since it would raise the carburetor o'r air cleaner vto a point where it would contact the hood.. In addition the lengthening of the conduit between the carburetor and the engine manifold tends to upset the fuel mixture. A n

Further disadvantages of conventional governors when used with existing carburetors are found in the fact that a governor interposed between the carburetor and the intake manifold of an engine will render the carburetor ineilicient and produce .undesirable surges while the engine is running under vlight loads. This is because the modern carburetor usually includes an idling or closed throttle mixture controldevice which depends entirely-on the position of the carburetor throttle for metering of the fuel. The throttle is usually arranged so that it caps out either an elongated slot or a series of holes connected to a source of fuel in a manner whereby the throttle not only regulates the air passing around its periphery but at one point in its periphery valves or meters the fuel at both idling and light load. Assuming that a carburetor is installed without a governor, and the throttle thereof is closed with the engine idling at about 800 R. P. M., the throttle is in a position to allow sufcient fuel to pass from the idling jet to the engine to insure its proper idling. Since the throttle is substantially fully closed, a considerable pressure differential exists on both sides thereof with the pressure adjacent the main carburetor jet being substantially atmospheric so that no fuells drawn therethrough.

Under such conditions when the throttle is opened sufficiently to obtain an engine speed of 900 R. P. M., the throttle is in a position to allow more fuel to flow from the idling'jet or jets, and more air to flow around its periphery to maintain the correct air-fuel ratio. However, the throttle is still in a substantial How-restricting position and maintains a marked differential of pressures in the intake conduit. Therefore, little or noleffect of the vacuum of the intake manifoldv isA manifest upon the' main jet of the carburetorv and little or no fuel ows therefrom.

If the throttle is further opened for a light load 'and an engine speed of about 2500 R.. P. M., the throttle will be in a less restricting position so that the vacuum in the intake manifold is more effective on the main jet. However, the full Vacuum of the intake manifold is still effective upon the idling jets and as a result, the latter will supply approximately seventy-five percent Vof the fuel required while the main jet will supply only about twenty-five percent.

The foregoing operation has-been based on the assumption that no governor is employed in connection with the fuel entering the engine. If a governor of the usual commercial'type is inserted between the carburetor and the engine, when it is in a closed or restricting position, 4it sets up a differential of pressure between the carburetorand the vacuum in the intake manifold. This differential corresponds to the differential that would exist on opposite sides of the carburetor throttle which, as previously explained, is relied upon to insure the proper air-fuel ratio at all stages of. operation, particularly under light load and when the engine is idling. Under such conditions the carburetor throttle is robbed of the differential pressures essential to proper operation of the carburetor.

To illustrate the manner of interference of the l governor valve with the throttle valve and consequent operation of the carburetor, let it be assumed that the governor is set to govern the engine at a maximum speed of 2500 R. P. M. It has been pointed out that at such a speed under a light load with no governor present, the idling jets of the carburetor will supply approximately seventy-ve percent of the lfuel while the main :sol

lmi

`iet will supply about twenty-five percent. When the engine under its light load reaches a maximum speed of 2500 R. P. M., the governor will go to closed position. This sets up a differential of pressure' on opposite sides of the governor valve.

Since the throttle valve is in open position to insure running of the engine at its maximum governed speed, the pressure on the upstream side of the governor valve will be effective throughout the carburetor. This pressure corresponds to the same pressure that was present on the upstream side of the throttle valve when it' was in a position to control the engine at 2500 R. P. M. and no governor valve was present. Accordingly only the same quantity of fuel will be drawn from the main jet which corresponds to about twenty-five percent of the fuel required to properly run the engine at the speed of 2500 R. P. M. l

Since there is no pressure differential on the opposite sides of the carburetor throttle valve, there will be no pressure differential effective upon the idling jets which formerly fed seventyve percent of the fuel to the engine. Under these conditions the fuel mixtureis robbed, becomes seriously lean, and the engine slows down. The governor valve will then open, restoring control of the fuel mixture to the carburetor throttle, which being wide open, causes sudden enrichment of thefuel mixture and causes the engine to speed up. This sets up a repeatedA cycle of operation wherein the engine will first come up to the governed speed, the governor will close at the governed speed, the mixture of the carburetor will subsequently go bad, the engine speed falls of, and the governor ,then reopens causing the engine to speed up again. This results in a surging action which will occur despite the fact that the governor may be in perfect Working order, and the carburetor perfectly adjusted.

This problem may be viewed from another angle when it is considered that the carburetor designers have intentionally designed a carburetor wherein correct perfomance particularly at idling and light loads can only be obtained by the correct positioning of the carburetor throttle and the diierentials of pressure set up by this throttle in different positions. It follows that if a governor valve or any other restriction is placed in the line to vary the effect of the vacuum in the intake manifold'of the engine, or to create a differential of pressures elsewhere in the line than at the carburetor throttle, the carburetor throttle cannot supply the correct running mixture to the engine, and as a consequence, the object for which it so carefullyrlesigned is not attained. Consequently, the carbureibr .cannot perform at its maximum efficiency.

To overcome the aforesaid disadvantages and to eliminate the use of the separate governor valve which has hitherto been considered necessary, it is a major object of this invention to combine with the carburetor throttle the functions of the governor so that the governing action is attained while maintaining the correct air-fuel ratio even at idling speeds 'and under iight loads. By such a combination, there is no possibility of a differential of pressures in the intake conduit other than that the combined throttling and governing valve, and maximum efficiency of the present day carburetor can be assured.

Still a further object ofv my invention is to provide a novel throttle and governor combination for the intake conduit of an internal combustion engine wherein it is unnecessary'tc provide any means for eliminating throttle cheat or special means for controlling the ignition of the engine from the vacuum existing in the intake manifold, conventional means being employed with maximum eiiiciency and with no alteration in structure.

A further object of my invention is to provide a novel method of governing an internal combustion engine wherein governing means of novel character is provided to insure more sensitive and satisfactory governing, this method including the step of adjusting the angularity of the governor blade or blades in accordance with the maximum speed for which the governor may be set to operate.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of novel governing means that may be embodied in carburetors already in use or easily built as a part of a new carburetor, thus effecting a substantial reduction in cost over the prior individual costs of the governor and the carburetor.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the efficiency ofcarburetors when employed with a governor wherein the control of the carburetor throttle, which in turn controls the ratio of the air-fuel mixture, is transferred from the control of the operator of the internal coinbustion engine to a governing element which in turn controls the maximum speed of the engine, insuring correct air-fuel ratio and proper opening of the throttle valve at all speeds up to the governed speed.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision of a novel method of both governing and carbureting the fuel fed to an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of employing a throttle as a. governor responsive to a characteristic of the fuel, and maintaining the pressure differential on opposite sides of the throttle-governor corresponding to the diierential obtained when the throttle is manually operated, the fuel passing to the engine at idling and under light load being metered by the combined governorthrottle.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel carburetor with a main fuel jet and supplemental or idling jets, the latter being arranged to be controlled by a manually operable throttle in the carburetor when Yat or near closed position, novel governing means being provided responsive to a characteristic of the fluid flowing to the engine to move the throttle towards closed position at the engine speed for which the governing means is set to operate and independent of the manually operable means for the throttle.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel combined governor and throttle that can be readily installed on existing installations and that is readily adaptable to new installations without disturbing the position of the air cleaner, fuel feed lines and the like or requiring alterations in the length or position of the various control rods and operating means normally connected to the carburetor oan engine.

Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of a novel carbureting device for an internal combustion engine including a iluid conduit, a throttle" in the conduit, governing means to move the throttle toward closed position at a predetermined characteristic of iiuid in the conduit to prevent the engine from operating above predetermined maximum speeds, u

and manually operable means to movethe throttle from open to closed position.

In prior governors, when the governor is set to operate at relatively low speeds, the operation has not been entirely satisfactory since no attention has been paid to the position 0f the throttle of the governor at full open position relative to the speed at which the governor is set to close. Assuming that a throttle always goes to the same wide open position regardless of erate, the uid flowing by the throttle at low settings will have a less marked effect than at high settings. To overcome this disadvantage, it is an object of my invention to provide novel governing means wherein the full open position of the throttle is varied in proportion to the governed speed of the engine and proper koperation of the governor at low speeds is assured.

In prior governors, ins'uflicient or no consideration has been given to the varying degrees of force'required to operate the throttle when in a closed or partially closed position and in open position by reason of the differential created on opposite sides of the throttle when in the closed or partially closed position. This problem has been approached in different ways as by installing bearings to render the throttle substantially frictionless. To eliminate the necessity for such bearings which constitute a major portion of the cost of present governors and require continued care and adjustment, it is a major object of the present invention to provide novel governing means wherein the force exerted by the governing element on the throttle is in proportion to the force required to move the throttle at its particular position, any need for frictionless bearings or the like being eliminated.

Still a further object of my invention is the provision of vacuum responsive governing means subject to the manifold vacuum of an engine, novel control or valving means, also subject to the manifold vacuum, being employed ,to pilot or control the action of the vacuum responsive governing means.

Still afurther objectl of my invention is to provide a novel governor for an internal combustion engine embodying a valve and power means constantly connected to the intake manifold of the enginefor operating the valve, pilot means including valve means being positioned in the connection to vary the effect of the intake on the power means, the power means comprising a vacuum responsive element correlated with the valve means to insure an accurate response of the power means upon operation of the pilot means.

A further 'object of my invention is the provision of novel means for operating a governor foran internal combustion engine in response to the vacuum in the intake of the engine, said means comprising vacuum responsive means connected to the intake, the location of the point of connection to the 'vacuum responsive means being variable.v More particularly,my invention involves novel vacuum responsive meansv for use` in connection with agovernor wherein a` piston a and cylinder are employed, the vacuum connection to the cylinder being arranged for displacement along a line parallel to the axis of the cylinder, the position of the connection being governed by the degree of vacuum.

A further object of this invention resides in the provision ofv a novel governor wherein sensitive operation is obtained without the necessity of employing finely machined and refined elements which have hitherto been considered l necessary.

Other objects of my invention will become evident as the description thereof proceeds taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,

wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a preferred embodiment of a combined governor and carburetor of my invention. f

Figure 2 is a top plan of the governor elements of Figure' 1 illustrating the connection thereof to the heat insulating gasket interposed between the carburetor and the intake manifold.

Figure 3 is a section of the uppermost cylinder of Figure 2, taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure v2, illustrating the connection of the cylinder to the fuel conduit.

Figure 4 is a section of the cylinders of Figure 2 taken substantially on a horizontal plane pass- Figure 10 4is taken on the plane IIJ--III of the governor of Figure 9 and illustrates the adjusting means therefor.

Referring to Figures 1 to 6, inclusive, a pre-A ferred embodiment of my invention employing 'a combined governor and carburetor is there illustrated. A downdraft carburetor Il is provided in the usual manner with an air intake l2, a float chamber I3 and a venturi I4 into which a main fuel jet I5 is arranged to discharge. A separate section I6 is provided as is usual practice for housing a carburetor throttle I1 on the usual shaft I8.

Means to supply fuel for idling purposes .and at light loads is provided by a conduit I9 oonnecting with float chamber I3 and with jets 2l and' 22 leading into the main conduit of the carburetor at a point adjacent one edge ofthe throttle I1 when the latter is in closed position.` Jet 22 is metered as by a screw 23 accessible from the outside of the carburetor for adjusting the idling -mixture. Jet 2| is not metered. This construction is well known in the carburetor art and no further detailed description thereof is considered necessary beyond pointing out that when throttle I1 is in closed position, the fuel 'for idling will be fed through jet 22, the effective size of which is adjustable by screw 23.

This feed 'is induced by thevacuum existing in the manifold intake 24 connected to the engine. Fuel will not be fed through jet 2i vor ;et I5 because o f the existence of atmospheric pressure at both.je ts 4by reason of the closed position of' throttle I1. Under such conditions, jet 22 is sup plying all of the fuel.

Whenvthrottle I1 is slightly opened, the vacuum on the lower side of the throttle becomes effective on jet 2| and fuel is fed therethrough in addition to the fuel fed through jet 22. This arrangement of fuel control which has come into widespread use is such -that it' carries the engine to a materially high R. P. M. away from the closed or idling throttle position. As a matter of fact, when no governor is employed in the line and light loads only are on the engine and the engine is under control of the carburetor throttle, the arrangement described .is such that approximately '75% of the fuel will be supplied by jets 2i and 22 and only approximately 25% will be supplied by the main jet of the carburetor. This has been found to be true up to a speed as high as 2800 R. P. M.

'I'he throttle as shown in Figure 1 may be of the butterfly type and is preferably of the balanced type wherein a throttle shaft i8 is located in the center of the conduit.

Looking at Figures l and 2, a heat insulating gasket 25 of Bakelite, asbestos or similar heat insulating material is provided with an extension 26 to the left, the upper face of extension 26 being formed as a dove-tailed slide 2l (Figure 6).

A pair of substantially parallel cylinders 25 and 29 are preferably formed integral with one another and with a groove 3| to engage slide 2li and permit movement of the cylinders to the right and left as viewed in Figures 1 and 2.

It is preferred to place extension 26 on gasket 25 since this enables the governor of my invention to be placed on any existing carburetor installation with no displacement of the carburetor or air cleaner and no alterations in the connecting feed lines or control rods. However, it is to be understood that extension 26 may be formed integral with throttle housing i6, this arrangement 'likewise involving no displacement of the carburetor or air cleaner or alterations in the connecting rods and fuel lines. It is also to be understood that the arrangement described is not limited to a combination with a carburetor but may be employed in connection with a governor of the usual type. I

Cylinder 26 is preferably larger than cylinder 29 and contains a piston 32 (Figure 4). Piston 32 has a connecting rod 33 secured thereto, rod

33 extending through one end of cylinder 26.

Rod 83 is connected by a pin 94 to the end of a second rod 35, the latter being connected by a pin 36 to the end of a lever 31. Lever 37 constitutes a crank secured to shaft I8 of throttle Il. A throttle lever 38 of conventional character is also securedto throttle shaft I8, an idling adjustment screw 39 being mounted therein in customary manner to contact a lug or stop 46.

A pin 4| is mounted in the end of lever 38 forconnection to a slotted link 42 secured to the manually operated control for the throttle. When link 42, as viewed in Figure 1, is pulled down, it moves lever 38 and throttle I 'l to closed position, but when link 62 is up or near its uppermost position, throttle I'l is free to act under influence of the governor and may move from open to closed position orlvice versa independent of the manual control means. A spring (not shown), resembling spring I4! of Figure 8, is provided in connection with link 42 to return the throttle to closed position against the action of the springs employed in the governor when the manual control is so moved.

In Figure 1, connecting rod 33 is shown at one of its limits of movement with throttle I'I open to its fullest extent, this position likewise being shown in Figure 4. The angle between the plane of throttle il and the axis of the conduit is therefore at a minimum. The importance of this observation will hereinafter appear.

amines Referring to Figure 4 wherein cylinders 28 and 29 are shown in section, the open end of cylinder 28 is closed by a threaded cap 43 formed on its inner face with a central boss 44 to center a compression spring 45, the opposite end of the spring being positioned in the cupped portion of piston 32. A separating wall 46 is provided between cylinders 28 and 29 and is formed with a series of axially spaced apertures 41. Aperturas 47 are preferably formed as shown in Figure 6 by drilling through the outer wall of cylinder 29, the holes therein being subsequently sealed by plugs 66.

Cylinder 29 is preferably of less diameter but of greater length than cylinder 26 and is fitted with a. relatively loose sliding piston 48 having no rods connected thereto, piston 46 thus constituting a free" piston. Piston 46 is cupped to receive a compression spring 49, the cup connecting with a conduit 5| connected by cross conduits 52 with an annular groove 53 formed in the outer periphery of the piston. Conduits 5i and 52 insure the same pressure in groove 53 as in the cup of piston 48 and the adjacent portion of cylinder 29. The open end of cylinder 29 is closed by a cap 54 provided with a central pin 55 for centering spring 49. The latter is preferably of a length and strength to prevent groove 53 from moving to the right (Figure 4) past the far right aperture 41.

The chamber formed in'cylinder 29 by the cupped end of piston 46 and cap 54, hereinafter called chamber 56, is connected by a passage 5l (Figure 3) to a slot 58 in dove-tail 2l. A conduit 59 in gasket 25 connects slot 58 with the main conduit at a point 6| downstream from throttle l'i whereby point 6l is subject to the vacuum in the intake manifold of the engine and manifold pressures are maintained in chamber 56. Slot 58 is of sufficient length to insure an unrestricted connection of chamber 56 with conduit 59 and the intake manifold throughout a predetermined range of axial movement of cylinders 28 and 29 onudove-tail 2l. Pistons 32 and 48 may be generally described as either vacuum responsive or pressure responsive since they are responsive to the vacuum oi' the engine intake and to atmospheric pressure. For the purpose of consistency, they will be hereinafter termed as vacuum responsive.

'I'his movement oi' cylinders 28 and 29 to the right and left on dove-tail 2l as viewed in Figure 1 constitutes the speed adjustment of the governor and is manually controlled by a screw 62 (Figures 3 and 5). Screw 52 .comprises a section 63 of reduced diameter between collars 64. Cylinder 29 has yoke 65 preferably formed integral therewith to llt section 63 andengage collars 64. Consequently rotation of screw 62 in its tapped aperture 66 in extension 26 effects recipvrocation of cylinders 28 and 29, screw 62 also serving to hold the cylinders in their adjusted position. Yoke 65 and Screw 62 may be drilled in a manner to permit of locking by a wire and sealing means to prevent unauthorized tampering.

Taking up the operation of throttle I1 as a governor, reference is made to Figure 4 wherein the pistons 32 and 48 are in a position corresponding to that shown in Figure l wherein the throttle or valve'is fully open. With the throttle fully open, substantially atmospheric pressure exists in the intake conduit, the slight degree of vacuum that is present being insufficient to overcome the force of springs 45 and 49 and move the pistons. As the engine approaches the speed for which it'is governed, the vacuum in the intake conduit increases.

The increase in vacuum is eiective on piston 48 to move it to the right as viewed in Figure 4 and compress spring 49. The vacuum will be transmitted through conduits I, 52 and 53 to cylinder 28 where it will be eiectiveon piston 32 to move that piston to the right. Assuming that the vacuum increases and piston 48 continues to move to the right', groove 53 will act as a valve in passing from one aperture 41 to the succeeding aperture 41 and the point of connection of vacuum to cylinder 28 will be displaced on a line substantially parallel to the axis of the cylinder and to the line of movement of piston 33. Accordingly, as piston 48 moves to the right, piston 32 will follow by reason of the changing position of the vacuum connection which maintains the interior of cylinder 28 in communication with the intake vacuum. Thus piston 48 acts as a pilot means.

Let it now be assumed that the engine comes up to a stage Where it is running at no load against the governor at a speed of 2000 R. P. M. with the manual throttle control wide open and a manifold vacuum of sixteen inches, these figures being assumed for the purpose of illustration. Through conduit 59, slot 58 and conduit 57, the manifold vacuum of sixteen inches is transferred to chamber 56 of cylinder 29. The opposite end of cylinder 29 is open to the atmosphere through an opening 5l, and hence the vacuum in chamber 56 has caused piston 48 to move against spring 49 until it may be assumed that groove 53-registers with line A (Figure 4), selected for illustration, where spring 49 balances the vacuum and atmospheric pressure. It is important to note that in going toI any position,

substantially no work is accomplished since piston 48 is freely mounted in cylinder 29 and slides easily therein with imperceptible friction. Thus piston 48 is exceedingly sensitive to changes in manifold pressure.

When groove 53 is at rest on line A, the fourth from the right (Figure 4) of apertures 41 or aperture 41a is in alignment with groove 53. This permits full manifold pressures to exist momentarily within cylinder 28. As spring 45 is too light to resist the diierentialbetween manifold pressures and atmospheric pressure. the latter being vadmitted through. apertures B8, piston 32 is forced to a positionwhere its right edge blocks aperture 41a which happens to be in alignment with groove 53.

At this point, leakage of air at atmospheric pressure past piston 32 and effective through apertures 68, partially breaks down the vacuum in cylinder 28, and a point of balance is reached at which spring 45 maintains piston 32 in a position where the aperture 41a opposite groove 53 is partially exposed to maintain the piston balanced against the spring. In this position, full engine vacuum is not being transmitted to the interior of cylinder 28 since groove 53 and the adjacent portions of piston 48 are acting in conjunction with aperture 41a to form valve means.

In effect, the movement of piston 32 from one position to another is accomplished by actual displacement of the connection of the cylinder 28 to the source of vacuum, i. e., as piston 48 moves, groove 53 tion to cylinder 28, moves axially of the cylinder, the movement of piston-32 being `dependent on the axial displacementof this connection. Taking up the operation of the governor as position when which constitutes the vacuum connecthe engine goes from idling to governed speed, let it be assumed that the manual control is in a position to hold the throttle in idling position. In this position, piston 32 (as viewed in Figure 4) is at the right end of cylinder 28 since the conventional spring employed on the accelerator or throttle is suiciently strong to overcome spring 45. Since the throttle is closed, idling vacuum will be present in the engine manifold which will force piston 48 toward the right end of cylinder 28 against the action of spring 49. At idling vacuum, let it be assumed that the piston 48 is so positioned that the groove 53 is opposite aperture 41h.

Since piston 32 is forcibly held at the right end of cylinder 28, the aperture 41b'is valved oi from cylinder 28 and the idling vacuum has no effect on piston 32.

Assuming that the manual control is released to permit the throttle to go toward open position,

piston 32 will be moved to the left by spring 45 since there is no vacuum in cylinder 28 to oppose the action of the spring. It would seem that movement of piston 32 would stop when it reached aperture 41h to open the latter to cylinder 28 but by opening the throttle, the vacuum in the manifold has been lowered so that piston 48 and groove 53 have moved to the left and aperture lib has been sealed. Thus piston 32 is able to move to another aperture 41 and so on until it reaches the aperture 4l open to groove 53 Where the latter has come to rest by reason-of equilibrium between the vacuum in the engine manifold and spring 48.

In studying the action of the pistons as the throttle proceeds from idlingto open positionl it must be remembered that at idling with the piston 32 held forcibly to the right end of cylinder 28 so that the vacuum has no eect thereon, the pistons and their springs are not in a balanced condition corresponding to the balanced condition that exists at the governed speed. In other lwords, the pilot piston does not move a prolowering the effective vacuum on piston 48 which returns to its point of equilibrium or to the governed position, taking piston 32 with it.

If a load is applied coincident with the freeing oi' the throttle from the idling position in which itis forcibly held, the pressure in the manifold will correspondingly increase with the result that piston 48, instead of going from its position at idling to the governed position, will go from its idling position to a position approximately that shown in Figure 4, always taking piston 32 with it. Piston 48 will only return to governed governed R. P. M. is attained.

The action of pistons 32 and 48 may be bri'ey summarized with three illustrations. With no load on theengine, if the throttle is freed from Ify the throttle from. idling, the resultant low vacu and is unbalanced by strong forces uum will cause the pistons to go to the extreme left of their cylinders as viewed in Figure 4, the pistons returning to the governed position when load and R. P. M. permit. If a partial load applied coincident With release from idling position, the pistons will overrun the governed position by moving to the left (Figure 4) beyond the governed position in proportion to the amount of the load and will return to governed position when load and R. P. M. permit.

As no vacuum is effective on piston 32 at idling with the engine running, the return spring on the accelerator pedal or manual throttle control is strong enough to bring the mechanism to the idling position and when the engine is shut oi, the throttle will remain closed. This return spring in practice is not required to be of great strength and when the term forcible closing is employed in connection with the present governor, only a moderate degree of force is indicated.

Whenever the engine is throttled, considerable load is imposed on throttle shaft I8 because of the differential of pressures created thereby and considerable friction is developed in the bearings of shaft I3. Since piston 32 is connected to this shaft, this friction acts as a drag and helps' to maintain piston 32 at a point corresponding to the position of groove 53 at line A, which has been assumed for the purpose of illustration.

A very important feature of my invention resides in the fact that forces are developed thereby which insure the maintenance of piston 32 in equilibrium for a given condition. In this connection, it must be remembered that spring is far too light to resist the true engine manifold pressures but is st ill strong enough to move -throttle l1, even with the heaviest load that is imposed upon it in its different positions in the fuel conduit. While it may seem that this could provide an inoperative device, it must be remembered that the full engine vacuum is only present in cylinder 28 for a moment, the vacuum immediately causing piston 32 to valve oir the eective aperture 41 and reduce the vacuum to a point where it will be only sufficient to balance spring 45 when the piston is in equilibrium.

To illustrate the forces holding piston 32 in equilibrium, let it be assumed that piston 32 is forcibly moved to the left an amount to open the full area of the active aperture 41. The full engine vacuum will be effective on the right side of piston 32 creating a strong force acting to force piston 32 back to its balanced position. If the piston be released, it will return to its balanced position partially closing the active aperture 41 and reducing the vacuum to a'point Where it will be balanced by Spring 45.

If piston 32 is manually pushed to the right to entirely cut out the activeV aperture 41, the vacuum is entirely cut off and the full force of spring 45 acts to return piston 32 to its balanced position. From the foregoing analysis. it is evident that piston 32 is sharply balanced at one position for a corresponding manifold vacuum at allot'her positions.

If a load be imposed on the engine, the vacuum A1in the manifold will fall Ofi.y Piston 48 withy its slot 53 will move to a new position toward the left with a corresponding movement of piston 32 and throttle I1. Piston 48 is entirely free to follow any change in vacuum with substantially no frictional resistance and where piston 48 goes, piston 32 must follow. For a given vacuum, pisa,a11,ee4 l ton 32 is always at equilibrium with a sharply dened power zone on either side tending to maintain the balance. In the operation just described, piston 48 acts as a valving means in a connection between the manifold of the engine and piston 32, the valving means being controlled by the vacuum in the manifold. Or piston 48 can be described as a pilot means controlling the operation of piston 32. The essential point is that the power piston 32 quickly and accurately follows or responds to movement of the piston 48, and this is important because the last mentioned piston is extremely sensitive and very easily operable.

It is also important to note that when throttle l1 is wide open, there will be only a slight vacuum ,to operate the piston. However, at this stage, there is little differential of pressure effective on shaft I8 with little resulting friction. Consequently, the torque required to rotate shaft I8 is slight. Whenever throttle l1 is approaching closed position where the required torque increases due to the increased dierential of pressures above and below the throttle, the power effective on the piston is accordingly increased. This is particularly important with respect t0 piston 32 since at the positions of the throttle requiring increased torque, the power effective to maintain piston 32 in balanced position is correspondingly increased.

To adjust the governor to a diierent speed, the

l cylinders 28 and 29 are shifted on the supporting dove-tail joint. Such shifting correspondingly shifts the equilibrium point of piston 32 with refl erence to the throttle. 'Ihe throttle not only closes at a different speed but the angle thereof when at full open position is varied. For instance, in the position shown in Figure 1, the cylinders are in a position to permit of the highest speed and the equilibrium point of piston 32 is as far to the right as possible. Likewise the throttle is at its minimum angle to the conduit axis and piston 32 is against the right end of cylinder 28. As the governor is set for lower speeds, the equilibrium point of piston 32 is moved to the left. By reason of cylinder 28 being moved to the left, the angle of the throttle to the conbduit axis when at its maximum open position is increased. This increase in the angle of the throttle as the lower speeds are approached on the governing range increases the sensitivity of the governor and its responsiveness at the lower governed speeds.

If desired, the degree or iineness of adjustment of the govern'or may be increased by increasing apertures 41 in number. This may be done by drilling a second series of apertures in a plane offset from the original series and positioning the apertures of the second row so that they are staggered, with each midway between a pair of the original apertures. v

It is to be noted that by reason of the location of the jets for feeding fuel at idling and light load with reference to the governor valve, the latter acts to meter fuel to the engine at such stages of operation.

In Figure 7 I have shown a modification of my invention wherein a cylindrical shell as shown at 1I is secured to a carburetor 12 by a rib 13. If desired, the rib 13 may be connected to a heat insulating washer 14 positioned between the carburetor 12 and the intake manifold 15. Rib 13 is formed with a conduit 16 which leads from the interior of the main carburetor conduit to along the length of the bellows.

- move out.

the left end of cylinder 1|, opening therein at 11.

A throttle 18 mounted on axis 19 Within the carburetor is connected byV a crank arm 8| to a pin 82. Pin 82 in turn connects with a link 83 connected to a connecting rod 84. Pin 82 projects beyond the linkage it connects for a purpose to be explained. A second crank 85 is loosely mounted on axis 19 to turn with reference thereto and is connected by a connecting rod 86 to the accelerator or conventional throttle control. Crank 85 is extended at its outer end to engage the projecting portion of pin 82 whereby the throttle may be moved from open to closed position by movement of connecting rodl This arrangement permits `free movement of the throttle valve independent of the manual control 86 when the accelerator is fully depressed and crank 85 is as far clockwise as it will go. A conventional idling adjustment is shown at 81. Connecting rod 84 is mounted to slide in an apertured boss 88 on the right end of cylinder 1| and has a disc 89 secured to the inner end thereof. A bellows 9| is provided on disc 89 and extends to the left wall 92 of cylinder 1 i', the bellows being held in position by a series of smooth rings 98, the rings beingarranged in spaced relation arrangement permits the use of thin flexible material for the bellows such as that sold on the market under the name Duprene. It is to be understood that any flexible and substantially air tight material may be substituted therefor.

A coil spring 93, which, when expanded or relaxed, is of approximately the length of the container, is positioned axially thereof with one end snapped into position onthe inside of end wall 92 on a block 94 which is threadedly engaged in the end wall to afford adjustment of the spring. A smaller and shorter spring 95, likewise axially positioned, is secured at one end to an adjustment member 96. Both springs 93 and 95 are preferably formed of varying pitch so that `during their compressing action, a soft start will take place while a rapid increase in the rate of build-up or resistance of the spring to compression will be attained. However, it is to be understood that springs of constant pitch and uniform diameter may be satisfactorily employed.

Block 94 is rotatable within end wall 92 to move it forward or backward. A pin 91, preferably parallel to the axis of cylinder 1I, is secured at one end to adjustment block 96, the other end of the pin slidably projecting into an aperture 98 in the right face of block 94 without, however, filling the hole. When adjustment block 94 is rotated, member 96 will be simultaneously rotated by'reason of the pin connection and if the two adjustment elements have djierent pitches, they will move different distances during adjustment as permitted by the sliding connection between pin 92 and blockI 94. In this connection it will be noted that reciprocation of block 96 is obtained by reason of its threaded engagement with rod 99 which is mounted at |8| in a cap |82 secured to end wall 92. The threads on rod 99 are preferably reverse to those on block 94. Therefore, when the latter is rotated for adjustment, it travels axially in one direction while the member 96 travels axially in the opposite direction. For example, if aright hand thread be on member 94 'and a left hand thread on member 96, when the block 94 is screwed in, member 96 will Further, by varying the pitch on blocks 94 and 96, any denite amount of rela.-

Such a ring tive movement desired may be obtained. For example, if a sixteen pitch thread is used on member -94 and a thirty-two pitch thread on member 96, one full revolution of member 94 in a clockwise direction will move member 94 one-sixteenth of an inch to the right and at the same time move member 96 one-thirtyf'second of an inch to the left.

Selection of adjustment means and proper springs are conditioned upon the type of engine upon which the governor is to be mounted. Subsequently, after installation, proper adjustment by rotation of block 94 may be made to set the particular governed speed within a given range of possible-governed speeds or to make correction toward maintenance of a governed speed'throug'hout the life of the particular engine in which the vacuum conditions may vary as a result of prolonged -use and wear.

The foregoing adjustment means is of particular value in that it enables the use of the one governor in almost any type or size of engine by the substitution only of relatively small and inexpensive elements, i. e., springs 93 and 95.

It is to be understood. that the combined governor throttle of Figure '1 may be employed in connection with a carburetor of the type shown show'n at |85 may be a casting as of brass or ofdie cast material; It is formed at one end as blocks-94, 96 anda large cylinder |86, and at the opposite end as a smaller cylinder |81, the cylinders being preferably formed integral. A partitioning washer |88 is driven into the bottom of cylinder |86 to divide the two cylinders', the washer having a bore |89 therein to support an extension ||8 of reduced cross section on a piston fitted to freely reciprocate in cylinder |81.

The right end of cylinder |81 is formed as a projecting yoke ||2 having a 'bored and tapped boss ||3 thereon. Yoke ||2 serves as a connectic to a section of a throttle rod ||5 and permits accessibility to an adjustment screw H6.

The lower side of cylinder |81 is provided with a tapped boss ||1 for connection to the intake manifold of the engine as by a iiexible hose. Since the open end of cylinder |81 is closed by screw H6, the engine vacuum is always effective in cylinder |81 between screw ||6 and piston 'l l, this space being hereinafter designated as chamber H8.

A spring ||9 is mounted between adjusting screw ||6 and the cupped portion of pistonlll to push piston to the left, the vacuum in chamber ||8 causing piston to move to the right against spring |I9. The chamber to the immediate left of piston4 is kept at atmospheric pressure through conduit |28 which opens into the left end of cylinder |85.

Extension ||8 of piston extends through washer |88 and mLay abut the end of a piston |2| for a purpose to be later described. Extension ||8 is drilled throughout its entire length to form bore |22. Piston |2| is free to slide in cylinder |85,` the end of a second section of throttle rod ||5 being made fast thereto through threaded end of the throttle rod. Nut |25 is preferably round and made of fiber.

The open or left end of cylinder |05 is closed by a cap |26 formed with apertures |21 to admit atmosphere to chamber |28 at the left end of cylinder |05. A rubber bellows |29 is preferably friction fitted to rod ||5 on one end and cap |26 on its other end, the bellows being formed with apertures |30 concealed within the bellows flutes. The bellows is effective in keeping dirt and foreign mattei' from the mechanism while permitting free access of atmosphere.

A spring |3| between washer |08 and piston |2| tends to urge piston |2| to the left while the engine vacuum from conduit |22 tends to urge the piston to the right as will be later explained. Pistons and |2| may be generally described as either pressure responsive or vacuum responsive means since they are responsive to atmospheric pressure and to the vacuum of the engine intake. For consistency, they will be hereinafter referred to as vacuum responsive.

As indicated, the governor of Figures 8 through 10 is designed to be employed as a part of the conventional throttle rod of an internal combustion engine as generally described in my application Serial No. 101,665, filed September 19, 1936, and as shown in Figure 8 wherein a portion of the throttle rod is removed and the governor substituted therefor. The left end of the throttle rod is connected to a crank |35 on throttle shaft |36, the governor being connected -to a flexible hose |31 connected to the engine manifold (not shown). The right end of rod ||5 is secured to lever |30 pivoted at |39 and operated by a fuel control mechanism such as a conventional foot pedal or accelerator |40. If desired, the governor may be reversed, end for end. with the end so connected to the throttle valve being connected to the accelerator pedal.

Taking up the method of operation of the governor of Figures 8 to 10, inclusive, the governor is shown in Figure 9 in a governing position. With the engine running at a certain speed, a manifold vacuum of about 17", for example,v will exist in chamber ||8 and in bore |22. At such a vacuum, spring ||9 is compressed to about three quarters its normal length because of atmospheric pressure at the left side of piston from conduit |20.

Bore |22 communicates the manifold vacuum to the cupped side of piston |2|. If piston |2| be spaced from the end of extension l and bore |22, the full vacuum of 1'7" vis immediately efl'ective on the piston. This would occur if piston |2| were pulled to the left away from the end of bore |22.

By reason of atmospheric pressure in chamber |28, piston |2| immediately returns to the position shown in Figure 9 (assumed for illustration) under the iniuence of the 17" vacuum less the force of spring |3|. As nut |25 contacts the end of bore |22, the end'of the bore is automatically valved ofi' and the leakage of atmosphere around piston |2| rapidly breaks down the 17" vacuum effective on the piston to a point where spring III will begin to move piston |2| to the left.

In actual operation it has been found that the.

piston |2| is balanced at a point about 0.002" from the end of bore |22 in which position a vacuum suiicient to maintain the piston in such a position is maintained adJacent the cupped end thereof. 'Under the conditions selected, this vacuum in practice has been found to be about 81/2".

To illustrate the forces holding piston |2| in equilibrium, any outside force applied to throttle rod ||5 andy eective on piston |2| to move it to the right will close the 0.002" gap between piston |2| and bore 22, permit the pressure on the cupped side of the piston to build up and venable spring 3| to move the piston to the left until the original gap of 0.002 is attained. On the other hand, a forced movement of piston |2| to the left increases the gap of 0.002". This increases the vacuum at the cupped end of piston 2| t'o 17 which acts to return piston |2| to the normal gap 0.002". This arrangement insures an exceedingly accurate positioning of the piston at all times with the relatively simple means illustrated.

When a load is applied to the engine, the manifold vacuum will decrease. This will cause piston to move tothe left under the influence of spring ||9 and a new point of equilibrium as on line B for piston |2| will be set up. A load on the engine sufficient to bring the manifold vacuum to nearly atmospheric pressure will result in full movement of piston to thegleft, piston |2| being free to move to line C at which point the carburetor throttle will be in its wide open position and full power will be obtained.

It is important that spring I9 be calibrated or designed to meet the specific engine requirements so that the relatively low vacuum in the manifold when the throttle is open or nearly so is suicient to trip the piston or start it moving to the right from its far left position. While such low vacuums are not suited as operating forces at all times, they are suiicient in such wide open positions of the throttle wherein substantially no load is imposed on the throttle shaft and it rotates freely as has been previously explained.

Care must also be given to the calibration or design of spring |3I. For instance at position B,

the spring must not be so strong that approxi-l mately one-half the vacuum in chamber ||8 cannot maintain piston |2| in its proper spaced relation to bore |22. Otherwise a difference in power as to right or left motion will develop. In other words, if spring |3| is stronger than the vacuum, piston |2| will go to the left regardless ofthe vacuum. If spring |3| were three-quarters as strong as the vacuum, there would be a force to the left but not an equal force to the right. Therefore, at any point, the spring |3| should be designed to be as strong as one-half the manifold vacuum if that vacuum be maintained in chamber ||8. Then when the piston is displaced in either direction there i's the same degree of force tending to return it to equilibrium.

To understand the action of the governor when the engine goes from idling to governed position, let it be assumedthat the engine is idling. The accelerator pedal is in its raised position andv the throttle rod moved to the right. In this movement, idling vacuum exists in the manifold, the piston and spring ||9 being designed so that at such idling vacuum with the accelerator pedal released, the throttle rod will be sufficiently short to closel the throttle. l

If the accelerator pedal is depressed to bring the engine up to governed speed, only a light load being present, the governor and throttle rod will move momentarily as a unit to start the throttle toward open position. This movement of the throttle lowers theA vacuum in the manifold causing pistonto move to the left. As piston moves'to the left, it seals oil' the vacuum from the right end oi'x piston 2| whereby the latter may be urged to the left by spring |3|. The latter movement lengthens the throttle rod and correspondingly opens the throttle, this action con-- tinuing until governed speed is reached.

If a .heavy load be imposed on the engine coincident with opening of the throttle, the vacuum in the intake manifold will be decreased to almost atmospheric pressure whereby piston lll may move to the eXtreme left limit of its range causing a like movement of piston I2| to lengthen the throttle rod and open the throttle Wide. As the engine reaches governed speed with its load, the vacuum will increase to carry pistons iii and 12| to the right, shorten the throttle rodfandJ close the throttle.

Obviously, the effect of the vacuum on the pis-` ton 12E may be Varied by changing the diameter of the pistons and their cylinders in 4which case the springs would be accordingly changed. Other features of design may also be changed to best suit the governor to the particular engine upon which it may be employed.

Adjustment of the governor is easily accomplished by rotating screw llt which varies the effect of spring i i9 and the position of piston -i i l for a predetermined vacuum.

The automatic device, and the linkages, must be so correlated that full depression of the accelerator pedal cannot alone carry the throttle past a position corresponding to governed no-load position. For example, the levers E35 and i3@ must be properly related as' to lengths and maximum ranges of angular movement.

The governors just described represent marked improvements in the art since they are consid erably cheaper, much simpler 'and more reliable than governors formerly employed. The governing throttle and its housing are entirely eliminated as well as expensive frictionless bearings with their attendant upkeep. Moreover, the fact that the governors involve no displacement of they carburetor and associated mechanism with which they are employed is an added advantage. The governors are not susceptible to being put out of operation by a slight amount of dirt or foreign matter and are not so delicate in structure as to require exacting care in manufacture. The-only balanced element is the control piston which is substantially free of friction.

The invention may be embodied in other spe'- o forms Without departing from thespirit or es;i sential characteristics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope bf the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes Which come Within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In combination with a carbureting device for an internal combustion engine, a conduit; a valve in said conduit; a shaft to support said valve; means to manually operate said shaft; and gov-v erning means connected to said shaft to move said valve toward closed or open position at a pre-` determined characteristic of the fluid in said conduit irrespective of the load conditions on said engine when said manual means is set to permit said valve to be open, said governing means comprising a vacuum responsive element connected to said valve and a second vacuum responsive element connected to said conduit and arranged to control the operation of said first element.

' 2. In a governor for an internal combustion engine, a conduit; a valve in said conduit; vacuum responsive means comprising a cylinder and a piston in said cylinder arranged to operate said valve; and means to connect said'cylinder to the intake of said engine, said connecting means comprising means to vary the position of said connecting means along said cylinder.

3. In combination with a carburetor for an internal combustion engine, a manifold'intake for said engine; a heat insulating Washer arranged to t between said carburetor and said manifold intake; an integral support projecting from said Washer; a governing element mounted on said support; a valve in said intake; and means to connect said valve to said governing element to be operated thereby.

4. A governor for an internal combustion engine comprising a valve; a cylinder; a piston in said cylinder connected to said valve; a second cylinder adjacent said first cylinder; a free piston in said second cylinder; and means to subject said free piston to the manifold Vacuum of said engine, the side walls of said cylinders being connected by a series of substantially aligned passages valved by said pistons whereby movement of said free piston controls movement of said valve connected piston.

5. In combination with a combined carburetor throttle and governor valve; a cylinder; a piston in said cylinder connected to said valve; a second cylinder adjacent said first cylinder; a free piston in said second cylinder; and means to subject said free piston to the manifold vacuum of said engine, the side Walls of said cylinders being con.- nected by a series of separate passages Whose opposite ends are valved by said pistons whereby movement of said free piston controls movement of said valve connected piston.

WEDLIAM lil. LEIBING. 

